Whole Foods CEO John Mackey says the key to keeping people healthy in the United States is for people to eat better and live healthier lives.
“I mean, honestly, we talk about health care. The best solution is not to need health care,” Mackey told Freakonomics Radio host Stephen Dubner in an episode released on Nov. 4.
“The best solution is to change the way people eat, the way they live, the lifestyle, and diet,” Mackey says. “There’s no reason why people shouldn’t be healthy and have a longer health span. A bunch of drugs is not going to solve the problem.”
Americans are not taking as good care of their own bodies as they ought to be, Mackey says: “71% of Americans are overweight and 42.5% are obese. Clearly, we’re making bad choices in the way we eat,” he says. “It’s not a sustainable path. And so, I’m calling it out.”
It’s not the first time Mackey has called for better lifestyles as a solution to expensive health care.
In 2009, he penned a piece for the Wall Street Journal along the same ilk, “The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare,” in which he advocated for less government control of health care in the United States.
“This begins with the realization that every American adult is responsible for his or her own health,” Mackey wrote. “We should take that responsibility very seriously and use our freedom to make wise lifestyle choices that will protect our health.”
In 2009, he penned a piece for the Wall Street Journal along the same ilk, “The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare,” in which he advocated for less government control of health care in the United States.
“This begins with the realization that every American adult is responsible for his or her own health,” Mackey wrote. “We should take that responsibility very seriously and use our freedom to make wise lifestyle choices that will protect our health.”
